NEW PRODUCT: Starbucks Pike Place Roast Coffee
| If you live in a major city, you’ve probably seen the ads for Starbucks new Pike Place Roast coffee…and perhaps you got a taste of the free coffee given out on April 10, the launch day. The name honors the location of the first Starbucks coffee emporium (way back in 1971) in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. The goal was to provide Starbucks customers with a signature, “every day” coffee. Starbucks offered different daily choices of its 25+ different blends and single origin coffees. But research showed that many patrons wanted the same taste every day.
Now, Pike Place Roast will be brewed from freshly-ground beans, every half hour. It’s an excellent blend: robust enough for serious coffee drinkers and moderate enough for moderates. After a week of enjoying a daily cup, we conclude that the company has done a great job of appeasing both camps. |
 A blend to appeal to everyone…and to pair perfectly with coffee cake, cookies and chocolate-based foods. |
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| Everyone will note that there’s a smoother finish and softer acidity in this arabica blend. Coffee geeks or super palates (take your position on the podium of your choice) will note nuances of cocoa and toasted nuts. While it’s a universal cup, the flavor notes pair well with foods that have chocolate, cinnamon or nuts (coffee cake, chocolate chip and other cookies, almond toffee, chocolates and chocolate desserts).
Equally as important as the flavor, IOHO, is that Pike Place Roast is the first of Starbucks’ coffees to bear a new mark symbolizing the company’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability, through an expanded relationship with Conservation International, an organization that works in 40 countries to protect plant and animal diversity. Coffee bearing the new mark is purchased from C.A.F.E. Practices-verified suppliers. In 2003, Conservation International and Starbucks joined forces again to design Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices, a set of environmentally-, socially- and economically-responsible coffee buying guidelines to support conservation and make a positive difference in the lives of farmers and their communities—similar to the goal of Fair Trade Certified practices (Fair Trade Certified is a trademark of Fairtrade Labeling Organizations (FLO), an international monitoring organization whose U.S. auditor is TransFair USA). Free tastes are still being given out over the next two weeks across the country. Find an event near you at Starbucks.com. See more of our favorite javas in the Coffee Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine. |
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